Shekhar Kapur

Shekhar Kapur, (born December 6, 1945, Lahore, British India [now Pakistan]), Indian director best known for his films Bandit Queen (1994) and Elizabeth (1998).

Kapur received an education at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He then moved to London and began a career as a chartered accountant and management consultant.

Kapur returned to India and joined the film industry as an actor, making his debut in Ishq ishq ishq (1974; “Love, love, love”), directed by his uncle Dev Anand. Though his acting career did not take off, he remained a sought-after model and took to directing advertising films. In the early 1980s he moved to feature-film direction. His maiden directorial venture was the much-appreciated Masoom (1983; “Innocent”), which was noted for its superior cinematography, intelligent narrative, and fine performances.

Masoom was followed by Joshilaay, from which Kapur resigned before completion of the project. The film was eventually released in 1989 and credited to its producer, Sibte Hasan Rizvi. Kapur’s next film, the superhero story Mr. India (1987), was a huge success. Its special effects and fun-filled narrative established Kapur’s reputation as a technically savvy director with a flair for storytelling. It also gave Hindi cinema one of its most fascinating villains in Mogambo (Amrish Puri).

In 1994 Kapur released Bandit Queen, based on the life of the Indian outlaw Phoolan Devi. Apart from generating controversy (the film was briefly banned for its scenes of violence and rape, and Devi herself claimed the movie was inaccurate), this intense, raw feature brought Kapur international acclaim and won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film (presented by the film magazine Filmfare). Kapur then went on to direct the English feature Elizabeth, about the early years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England (Cate Blanchett in her breakthrough role). The film earned immense critical acclaim and Oscar nominations in several categories.

Kapur has also made sporadic forays into television, as an actor in Khandaan (1985) and Udaan (1989) and as a director in Tahqiqat (1994). In 2012 he and Indian composer A.R. Rahman launched Qyuki, a social networking Web site where users could share their own creative content.

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